The COVID-19 pandemic has created shortages of workers, supplies and now, school bus drivers.
Thurston County's largest school districts — North Thurston, Olympia and Tumwater — say they are facing bus driver shortages as the beginning of the school year approaches.
North Thurston Public Schools has 91 routes and 87 drivers, but has an even greater need when it comes to its supply of substitute drivers, transportation director Deanna Maddux said.
The district needs 20-25 substitute drivers and currently has only three, she said. And if they don't get the drivers they need, Maddux's administration is prepared to get behind the wheel.
"We have done it before," said Maddux, who used to be a substitute bus driver before she rose to become transportation director.
Olympia school district has similar needs.
"We currently have eight open bus routes to start the school year this fall and are pulling in employees from our substitute driver pool to fill those routes," spokeswoman Susan Gifford said. "Thus, we have a need for more substitute bus drivers."
Tumwater is facing a shortage of 15-20 drivers, spokeswoman Laurie Wiedenmeyer said.
"We have been actively advertising, recruiting, hiring, and training drivers as quickly as possible," she said.
The filling those positions could be difficult. Multiple school districts recently held a hiring event at the North Thurston Service Center, also known as the "bus barn" on Carpenter Road in Lacey, and nobody showed up, Maddux said.
"We didn't have one candidate come forward," she said.
The lack of workers has become one of the more curious aspects of the pandemic. A year ago area school districts faced a shortage of drivers because COVID-19 was new. Now, it's not clear whether the shortage reflects a lack of childcare, ongoing concerns about the disease, or prospective job seekers still receiving jobless benefits.
Maddux thinks people have adjusted their lives so much since the pandemic began that they're having trouble adjusting again.
And then there's the increased demand for people with commercial drivers licenses — something a new school bus driver receives after they are trained to drive.
Maddux said some school bus drivers are wooed elsewhere once they receive their CDL.
Meet Ann Panesko, school bus driver
Ann Panesko has been driving a school bus for 13 years, including four years with North Thurston Public Schools.
"I never thought in a million years that I would be driving a school bus after college," said Panesko at the service center last week.
But driving a school bus provided a flexible schedule, plus holidays and summers off, meaning she didn't need to worry about childcare for her children.
"The job accommodated me just fantastically," she said.
Panesko has driven general education buses — the common 40-foot bus — and smaller buses that serve special needs students.
"If you love working with kids, this is a great job," she said.
Bu what about that moment when you're driving a 40-foot bus, filled with noisy students, a squawking dispatch radio and you're approaching a roundabout?
"I've been there myself," she said. "How am I going to do this? With the right training, you get that experience and you build that confidence."
Competitive pay
All three school districts offer competitive pay to be a school bus driver and some, like Olympia and Tumwater, offer paid training.
North Thurston doesn't offer paid training, but is offering a $1,350 incentive bonus, transportation director Maddux said.
The pay for both substitute drivers and those with regular routes for the three districts ranges from about $20 per hour to as much as $25 per hour, according to district information.
Maddux said it can be full-time work, while others do only morning and afternoon routes, and some prefer to do after-school events and field trips.
"Some work 40 hours, others just do 25 hours," she said.
Want to be a school bus driver? To begin with you need to be 21 and have a valid Washington state driver's license.
For more information about becoming a school bus driver:
— North Thurston Public Schools: https://www.nthurston.k12.wa.us/.
— Olympia School District: https://osd.wednet.edu/.
— Tumwater School District: https://www.tumwater.k12.wa.us/.
